


sunbeam

by underwires



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Non-Magical, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-18
Updated: 2020-03-18
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:15:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23193817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/underwires/pseuds/underwires
Summary: Months and months of long nights in the office and drastic amounts of coffee made Hermione lose herself to her work and even her boss, Minerva McGonagall, saw the need to draw her out of her self-imposed exile and bring her back to the living world.It doesn’t take long for a familiar, broad-shouldered figure to block out the afternoon light streaming through the blinds of the fishbowl that she called her office, that Hermione realized that McGonagall was serious in bringing in “reinforcements.”Hermione just didn’t expect it to be Viktor Krum.Itshouldn’thave been Viktor Krum.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy, Hermione Granger/Viktor Krum
Comments: 4
Kudos: 59





	sunbeam

**Author's Note:**

  * For [chlochloebear](https://archiveofourown.org/users/chlochloebear/gifts).



> hi! this is my shot at a Krumione fic.  
> a gift to [chlochloebear](https://archiveofourown.org/users/chlochloebear/pseuds/chlochloebear)  
> i took the liberty of giving a respectful nod to Yeats for the last line.  
>   
> enjoy!  
> 

Hermione Granger doesn’t like wasting her time on stupid people. 

Take Gregory Goyle, for example. 

She’s spent the past twenty minutes explaining to him that his company’s over-supply of cabbages would just lead to obvious profit loss. 

“Why?” He asks. “Everyone likes cabbages.” 

Hermione tries not to let out an exasperated sigh.

“As I have mentioned earlier, Mr. Goyle, perishable goods have a limited shelf life and we must factor in the demand, supply, and freshness of the produce.” 

The conversation loops in and out of this or that question, but always end in the same conclusion: Gregory Goyle doesn’t know how to run a business. 

Sure, his family is stinking rich. But is he ready to take over a premium produce brand? Fuck no. 

Part and parcel of being a strategic analyst is breaking the bad news to people—that their business is about to collapse, bankruptcy might be a possibility, or their business model is just not working. 

Unfortunately for Gregory Goyle, he would have to start thinking of ways to tell his father how he lost millions in investing in genetic modification research for peanuts when the market demand is obviously not calling for gigantic garlic-flavored peanuts in a tin. 

The meeting ends in a stalemate. 

Mr. Goyle still doesn’t understand the slightest bit of the reality that things are horseshit because of his ill-advised business decisions and Hermione Granger just can’t get through that thick head of his. 

Thankfully, Goyle never mentioned The Breakup. 

At least, he was courteous enough to let that slide during the pleasantries they exchanged before they sat down and discussed the serious stuff. 

Not that The Breakup wasn’t serious—it was a cruel screamfest that ended up in a broken engagement, excessive drinking on Draco Malfoy’s part, and countless hours of overtime work in the office for Hermione Granger. 

Staying true to herself, she poured her energy into awful CEOs, corrupt financial officers, and wretched boards of directors who only cared about ruining the company’s name so they can cash in on their investments. 

Months and months of long nights in the office and drastic amounts of coffee made Hermione lose herself to her work and even her boss, Minerva McGonagall, saw the need to draw her out of her self-imposed exile and bring her back to the living world. 

It doesn’t take long for a familiar, broad-shouldered figure to block out the afternoon light streaming through the blinds of the fishbowl that she called her office, that Hermione realized that McGonagall was serious in bringing in “reinforcements.” 

Hermione just didn’t expect it to be Viktor Krum. 

It  _ shouldn’t  _ have been Viktor Krum. 

But there he was, taller than she remembered him to be and warmer than his broody teenage self, smiling at her. 

“Hermione.” He starts. “I texted you last week to say that I’ll be in the area.” 

Viktor Krum has a habit of saying sentences which could also be questions. 

Hermione forgot that she still hasn’t breathed since he walked in her office and that she still looked as dumb-founded as Gregory Goyle had the day before. 

“Hermione, I’ll sit now. Have some of the coffee I brought. It has caramel. I remember you like caramel, yes.” 

The first thing that occurs to Hermione is that Viktor Krum is her new co-lead in her team and that she would be sharing her workload with him and that was a tragedy in the making. 

She cannot and will not let another person ruin her work. 

“Viktor, it’s nice to see you, but I’ve already told McGonagall that I have everything sorted.” She says directly, avoiding looking at Viktor. 

She could sense his discomfort, like his eagerness deflated as soon as she said that she didn’t need any help. 

Hermione  _ knew  _ she had everything under control. She needed that—a sense that she was doing at least one thing right and that she was doing a damn great job at it. 

And she was. 

But Viktor obviously knew that. 

“McGonagall called. She worries about you, Hermione. I came here on my own, to help ease things a bit,” Viktor says. 

“Yes, thank you for that. But as I have mentioned, Viktor, I really don’t need help around here. I’m doing a perfectly good job. This is my job. I like how it is and it likes me back.” 

“I didn’t say you weren’t good at being an analyst. I’m saying you’re not good at being a person  _ outside  _ the office and client meetings. The real world wants you back, Hermione. That’s why I’m here. I volunteered to help you and I’m going to do just that.” 

Viktor Krum has this habit of saying things with finality. Years of being on this or that newspaper because of his athletic achievements gave him the grace of having the last say. 

This time, Hermione had no choice but to accept that Viktor Krum was once again in her life and that he wasn’t going to take “no” for an answer this time. 

* * *

The board meeting that Hermione had to sit in through was excruciating. 

It was awful enough that the head of the board and owner of the company was Narcissa Malfoy whose eyes bore into Hermione like a sharp blade—partly because her report about Ms. Malfoy’s cosmetics business’ margins which were in a worrisome state and wholly because she was led to believe that Hermione Granger broke her only son’s heart. 

The entire matter was subject to debate, anyway. 

Once Draco Malfoy sets his eyes on a target, he never loses his aim; much like what he did to Hermione. 

No one expected the heir to the Malfoy empire would woo a girl outside of elite society. 

No one expected that Hermione Granger would fall madly in love with the boy she detested all her life. But no one is perfect, right? 

Draco would skip board meetings on a whim just to bring Hermione to the city’s finest restaurant for lunch or request his private valet to bring Hermione to some posh hotel in some fancy part of the city. 

It was all opulence and excess until the days grew long and Hermione’s patience was spent. 

Draco’s parents never approved of Hermione. 

“Darling, but couldn’t you just call Astoria’s daughter for a quick brunch? She’s quite a charmer, that one. You’d like her. Call her, would you?” 

It was either Narcissa’s persistent badgering to Draco to find someone more “suitable” or Lucius Malfoy’s sneers that finally pushed Hermione out of the door. 

In Hermione’s eyes, Draco Malfoy was perfect in all aspects except for one: he was too rich for his own good. 

* * *

They’ve now settled into a routine. 

Viktor would bring two cups of coffee  _ (the one with the caramel is right, yes, Hermione?) _ and Hermione would allow a small smile of gratitude before submerging herself into whatever it is the day had in store for her. 

It doesn’t take long until Viktor proves that he’s perfectly capable at matching Hermione’s pace—that he’s as quick, sharp, and perceptive as an analyst as she was. This comes as a surprise to her because all her life, she thought Viktor Krum was just some dumb jock. 

He talks to her about profit margins and deadweight losses like he would the statistics of his sports team’s latest game. 

When it came to the year-end evaluation, Viktor was just shy away from Hermione’s performance marks. This baffled Hermione enough that she couldn’t help herself but to demand an explanation. 

“What do you  _ want _ from me, Viktor?” She seethes. 

Viktor stops typing on his keyboard and replies, “Nothing, Hermione. I’m just here to ease things up.” 

“But I never asked you to!” 

“McGonagall—.” 

“I  _ know _ what McGonagall said! You could have refused her offer, by the way.” 

Viktor stands up and looks directly at her. 

“Do you know how supernovas are caused by a star dying? That a star dims and dims until it is snuffed out and just implodes out of nowhere? Well, Hermione Granger, you used to beam sunshine and now you’re dimming so fast that you forgot your light.” 

Hermione just looks at him dumbfounded. 

“You may think I’m not as smart as you, maybe I’m not. But I know you, Hermione. And who you are right now is a less bright version of you.” 

He lightly touches her shoulder before he leaves the room, revealing the document he was typing on. 

_ Stardust. She has so much in her. She just won’t let others feel her warmth.  _

* * *

When Draco Malfoy walks into Hermione’s fishbowl office, she is all sorts of mortified. 

She stammers and grips her stress ball like a vise. 

Draco says his new startup needs its annual revenue reviewed in a crisp directness that was all too familiar to her. 

Viktor, who saw how visibly in shock Hermione was, says that he will bring up the project with McGonagall. 

Draco leaves without a second glance. No goodbye, only a bad taste in Hermione’s mouth remains after—that she was once again caught in the web of her first love. 

* * *

The tipping point comes when deadlines pile up, uncomprehending clients, and Draco Malfoy all topple over in Hermione Granger’s already over-cluttered life. 

“Stop! Just stop.” 

She bursts out when Viktor walks into the office with his daily offering of coffee. 

“Did I do something wrong, Hermione? Do you need more coffee for the day?” 

Hermione shakes her head fervently. 

“It’s not that, Viktor. Not that at all.” She lets out a breath. “How could you be so nice to me after all this? I’ve been so horrible to you and I’m just…so unsure of everything right now.” 

Viktor passes her the cup of coffee, inspecting the sleeve first before handing it to her. 

“Would you like to take a walk with me? It may help ease your mind a bit.” 

They get their coats, make their way towards the nearby park, and walk in silence. 

The coffee is still warm in Hermione’s hands when Viktor abruptly stops. 

“The light,” Viktor says as he motions towards the glade of trees sitting nearest to the edge of the man-made pond. 

Everything seemed so still and serene but Hermione’s mind was a thunderstorm. 

She was all sorts of confused and enraged that she wasn’t the one holding the cards right now. 

Hermione Granger was always two steps ahead. But why does it feel like Viktor can consistently guess her next move? 

It was time to call her bluff. 

“You’re pointing out the light filtering into the trees, aren’t you, Viktor?” 

He turns to smile at her. 

Something close to pride illuminates his face. 

“Yes, Hermione. You see, if you take time to let the sun shed its warmth on you, things don’t seem so bad after all,” Viktor says. 

“You look beautiful in the sunlight. More beautiful than ever, Hermione.” 

Hermione stops in the middle of sipping her coffee, trying not to sputter out caramel and caffeine onto the pathway. 

“Why are you doing this, Viktor?” 

It seems like she’s asked this question so many times but she never got a straight answer. She just wanted a simple response, was that too hard to ask from Viktor Krum? 

Viktor moves to slowly grasp her hand and envelopes it with his. 

“Because of this,” he says as he slowly brings their clasped hands towards her chest, right where her heart is. 

“This. You have so much love to give, Hermione. I wish you’d let someone hold your light.” 

They make their way back to the office and take their respective seats in the cubicles.

They don’t say a word. 

But Hermione finds herself smiling. 

She hasn’t smiled in months. 

Viktor steps out to talk to McGonagall about their deadlines and Hermione takes a peek at his computer screen. 

_ I am looped in the loops of her sun and stars. Sunbeam and moonbeam. Her light starts to shine brightly now.  _

**Author's Note:**

> [ps maybe consider following me](https://undderwires.tumblr.com/)


End file.
